Montane forests exist in the mountain ranges of California like the Sierra Nevada, Coastal, and Klamath Ranges. The montane ecosystem differentiates into various forest types depending on the temperature and precipitation which will allow certain tree species to thrive. The climate becomes colder and wetter as you increase in elevation. Hot and dry climates typically describe ecosystems at lower elevations. Montane forests occur at the center of these extremes as they border the Subalpine forests at high altitudes and chaparral and oak woodlands at lower ones. The Montane forest fire regime consisted of frequent, but small and moderately sized fires. Though, this regime changed as California suppressed natural forest fires that allowed fuel (leaf litter, branches, etc.) to accumulate leading to bigger fires.

In general, montane forests grow in temperature ranges of 7 - 12^oC and experience a total precipitation of 800 to 1,800 mm per year. Much of this precipitation comes in the form of snowpack which varies from year to year. The majority of the soil composition in montane forests is decomposed granite. The rest of the soil comes from volcanic and sedimentary rocks. The lower montane soils are more acidic and contain more clay than soils at higher elevation. Overall, nitrogen levels are low in this ecosystem.

The most common forest type in montane ecosystems that is highly influenced by water availability and microclimates. All the major tree species grow here like the yellow and sugar pines, douglas-fir, and white fir. Within the conifer species, there's a trade off between tolerance of drought/fire and shade tolerance. Fire suppression has led to the dominance of shade tolerant species like firs and incense cedar in areas that used to be mostly dominated by pines.

Giant Sequoias grow in small groves at altitudes between 1,370 - 2,000 meters in the north and 1,700 - 2,250 meters in the south. These areas contain well drained soils and high water availability. They require fire to regenerate and create open spaces for establishment. Other mixed conifers species grow here as well.

Ponderosa and Jeffrey pines (aka the yellow pines) characterize this forest type. Depending on the elevation and soil, one species will replace the other. Jeffrey pines dominate at higher elevations with poor, dry soil while Ponderosa dominate at lower elevations.

Northern Coastal Forests extends from central California to the Oregon border and appear at low elevations. These forests exhibit cool and moist climates because they grow along the Pacific Ocean. They deal with storms in the winter and coastal fogs in the summer. Because this area contains high amounts of endemics and high biodiversity, these forests are considered an ecoregion. The average annual temperatures here range between 10 - 13 ^oC and they receive about 1,020 – 2,550mm of precipitation. The majority of the soil in Northern Coastal Forests are ultisols.

Coastal Redwoods dominate various patches of the Northern California Coastal forest along the fog belt. They’re found near the coast, surrounded by other species of conifers like Douglas-firs and tanoak. Douglas-firs and tanoak forests replace redwoods in the uplands, where there’s frequent fire disturbances, and in drier slopes. Redwood forests grow within an elevation range of 100 – 2000ft and typically span 5 to 35 miles. Areas heavily dominated by Redwoods tend to be in valleys with high fog drip and alluvial soils. Floods also occur every 30 to 60 years. The forest undergrowth is high which supports a wide diversity of fauna.

Redwood National Park